February 2024 Books

Personal Reading

How Do We Know the Bible is True? Volume 2

by Ken Ham & Bodie Hodge

This is a second collection of articles and essays from Answers in Genesis authors on various topics related to the reliability and authority of the Bible

The Vanderbeekers Ever After

by Karina Yan Glaser

The seventh and last Vanderbeeker book.  Other than the first one, I probably liked this one the best, though it is heavier than the rest.  The family is gearing up for their neighbor's wedding with their aunt, when the youngest daughter (age 7) is diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia.  Each family member has to wrestle with their feelings and the practical necessities of life as they deal with their world suddenly being turned upside down. I don't necessarily recommend the series (you can search my reviews of the other books to see why), but I can appreciate that they are well-written (for the most part).  You feel like you get to know the characters, even if you don't approve of all that they do and think.  The stories are engaging and hard to put down.

Mr. Dickens and His Carol

by Samantha Silva

"Charles Dickens is not feeling the Christmas spirit. His newest book is an utter flop, the critics have turned against him, relatives near and far hound him for money. While his wife plans a lavish holiday party for their ever-expanding family and circle of friends, Dickens has visions of the poor house. But when his publishers try to blackmail him into writing a Christmas book to save them all from financial ruin, he refuses ... On one of his long night walks, in a once-beloved square, he meets the mysterious Eleanor Lovejoy, who might be just the muse he needs. As Dickens' deadlines close in, Eleanor propels him on a Scrooge-like journey that tests everything he believes about generosity, friendship, ambition, and love."

This is a fictional imagining of how Dickens came to write one of his most famous works, A Christmas Carol. I really enjoyed the writer's style -- captured much of the feel of Dickens with all his observations of details and human characters.  I loved the references to Dickens' other works and the descriptions of how Dickens came up with name and character ideas (not sure if they are all true, but they were fun).  For example, he is called on by someone not very nice, with a card reading "Jacob Marley."  He speculates with his children about include that name in one of his stories and the fun it would be to kill off the character.  His children suggest that the character should be dead at the beginning of the book.  Dead as a doornail.  Hmmm... the very first lines of A Christmas Carol!

Content considerations: There are a fair number of uses of "Good Lord!" and similar phrases.  This is consistent with Dickens' writing.  Also, Dickens and his wife have a falling out and she leaves him for a time.  During the story, he seems to be letting his thoughts and affections stray toward infidelity to his wife (emotional if not physical).  But things are not always what they seem.  And of course, his idea of what Christmas really means has nothing to do with the Biblical story. (Listen to a great sermon about The Christmas Dilemma here.)

If you're a Dickens fan and have read Sketches by Boz, Oliver Twist, Nicolas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop, Martin Chuzzlewit, and A Christmas Carol, you'll likely enjoy this one.  If you haven't read those books, you'll miss some of the winks and jokes related to them.  If you're not a Dickens fan, you probably won't like this one.  You certainly won't "get" it.  The audiobook, narrated by Euan Morton is excellent!

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale

by Carmen Deedy

A community of mice and a cheese-loving cat form an unlikely alliance at London's Cheshire Cheese, an inn where Charles Dickens finds inspiration and Queen Victoria makes an unexpected appearance. This is a fun story that gives many nods and winks to Dickens and his characters, but kids can enjoy the story of a cat who prefers to eat cheese rather than mice, even if they don't know anything about Dickens or his tales.

The Old Curiosity Shop

by Charles Dickens

This is the story of Nell Trent, a beautiful, virtuous, orphan girl who lives with her grandfather in his antique ("curiosity") shop.  Obsessed with the fear of leaving Nell in poverty, her grandfather turns to gambling in an effort to make money.  But he has no luck and becomes deeply indebted to a malicious moneylender names Daniel Quilp.  Nell and her grandfather are driven out of their home and wander around London and the countryside meeting Dickens' cast of colorful characters.  Eventually, a mysterious stranger shows up, searching desperately for the missing pair.  It's not till the end that we find out who he is and why he's looking for them.  

My Friend the Dog

by Albert Payson Terhune

A collection of dog stories, mostly about collies.  It can get a bit violent.

Over Sea, Under Stone

by Susan Cooper

Three children on vacation in Cornwall find an ancient manuscript which sends them on a dangerous quest that entraps them in the eternal battle between the forces of the Light and the Dark. This is the first of 5 books in the "Dark is Rising Sequence."  It was written as a stand-alone novel.  Many years later, the rest of the series was written.  By itself, it's an OK book.  Not too scary. Nothing really magical.  It helps if you have some familiarity with the King Arthur legends, but it's not strictly necessary.  I started reading the second book in the series, but it got too weird for my tastes.  I read summaries of the rest of the books, and they seem to delve more into Arthurian legend, myths, and magic than the first one.  

Newbery Medal Books

The Dark Frigate

by Charles Boardman Hawes

"In seventeenth century England, a terrible accident forces orphaned Philip Marsham to flee London in fear for his life. Bred to the sea, he signs on with the Rose of Devon, a dark frigate bound for the quiet shores of Newfoundland. Philip's bold spirit and knowledge of the sea soon win him his captain's regard. But when the Rose of Devon is seized in midocean by a devious group of men plucked from a floating wreck, Philip is forced to accompany these gentlemen of fortune on their murderous expeditions. Like it or not, Philip Marsham is now a pirate--with only the hangman awaiting his return to England. "

It was hard to get into this book at first due to archaic language, dialect, and sailor lingo.  Just when I started to get into it, it got gruesome as the pirates killed the crew of the ship that rescued them. Abandoned.

Genre: Historical Fiction.  1924 Newbery Medal winner.

Young Adult Previews

The House on the Cliff

by Franklin Dixon

The second book in the Hardy Boys series. This time the boys help their father nab a bunch of smugglers.  Involves some dangerous and life-threatening situations, but it's a clean mystery/detective story. A quick read at 20 chapters in 180 pages.

The Secret of the Old Mill

by Franklin Dixon

Number 3 in the Hardy Boys series.  We listened to an audiobook narrated by Jim Hodges (purchased from his website here).  It's always fun to stop an audiobook on a cliff hanger, and every chapter ends on one.  It was also fun to notice the details that mark the book as old: the boys lose $5 to a counterfeiter, and they bemoan the loss of so much money; a friend's aunt is devastated by the loss of $50.  It's a clean book, with some high-level vocabulary (if it were written for the target audience today, I doubt it would have that kind of vocabulary).  I felt comfortable letting my 10- and 11-year-olds listen to it.  Interestingly, the audiobook was significantly different from the hard copy we got from the library.  Apparently, the audiobook was the 1927 version (now in the public domain), while the hard copy was a 1960s revision.

The Missing Chums

by Franklin W. Dixon

The fourth book in the Hardy Boys series.  Again, a clean mystery/detective story.  A bit unbelievable at times (would the police and Coast Guard really let 17- and 18-year-old boys get involved in criminal investigations like this?)  And if you read enough of them too close together, they start to seem formulaic.  But they are still a fun, light, quick read.  Again, I would feel comfortable with letting my 11-year-old with the insatiable reading appetite read it.

Read-aloud (For Fun)

See The Secret of the Old Mill (above).

Read-aloud (Biography)

George Washington Carver: Man's Slave Becomes God's Scientist

by David Collins

A biography of George Washington Carver, written for young people.  I liked how the author included Carver's faith in God as an integral part of his life and work and success.  It was told in the first person, so that made it more interesting.  There are a few uses of the now-offensive "n---" word (as quotes from black-hating whites).  And one instance of "millions of years" -- oddly, while talking about God's magnificent creation.  I skipped the "n---" words and changed millions to thousands.

Read-aloud (Geography)

Stories set in Washington State:

Elliott the Otter

by John Skewes

As the subtitle says, this is the "totally untrue story of Elliott, the Boss of the Bay," describing the daily activity of the Elliott Bay in Washington.  Great picture book.

Ivan: the Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla

by Katherine Applegate

A picture book describing the life of a gorilla named Ivan, who spent 28 years living alone in a concrete room in a shopping mall in Tacoma, Washington.  He eventually was transferred to Zoo Atlanta, where he lived another 18 years in a more natural setting, with members of his own kind for company.  I believe the author wrote a novel about the same gorilla.

Stories set in Oregon:

Only Opal: The Diary of a Young Girl

by Barbara Cooney

Apparently, the text is taken from an actual diary of a young girl named Opal, who lived in the lumber camps with a family who took her in after her own parents died.  The family is not very nice to her, but she finds kind friends among the neighbors.  Beautiful illustrations. Content consideration: the girl talks about her "Angel Mother" and "Angel Father," as if people become guardian angels after they die.  Not Biblical theology.  

Apples to Oregon

by Deborah Hopkinson

A tall tale about how fruit trees were brought to Oregon.  Fun.

Stories set in Idaho:

Mailing May

by Michael O. Tunnel

May's parents have promised that she can go see her grandmother, but they can't afford the train fare.  So they hit upon the idea of mailing her as a package with her uncle who is a postmaster. Cute story, based on a true story.